Marriage from Hell
by kensi54382
Summary: Nina's mother has just married Lou and Nina has become shy again, hurting and angry that her mother didn't tell her until after they were married. She finds a friend in Jack again, and he tries to help her. Lou also tries to help but is aware that Nina is hurting because of the secret he helped keep and he lets her vent, accepting that she isn't angry at him, but is angry generally
1. Chapter 1

"You what?!" shouted Nina. "You got married and didn't tell me?!"

Trixie knew she had made a mistake by not telling her daughter that she and Lou were getting married, but she hadn't wanted to hurt her daughter either.

"Would you have been happier knowing?"

"Of course I would. How could you not tell your own daughter that you were getting married?!"

"Because I knew you were going to get angry!"

"Damn right I would! I like Lou, a lot, but he's got to be at least ten years older than you. And I don't want a stepfather! I want my real dad!"

"Well, you don't get a choice in this!"

"Fine, then I'm out of here!" Nina grabbed her bag and stormed out, not sure where she was going, but not wanting to stay in the house with her mother either.

* * *

Jack was outside, playing with Oscar and Steph when he heard a door slamming. He looked up and saw Nina running down her driveway, not looking where she was going. He quickly ran across to her, stopping her from entering the road.

"Nina, what happened?" he asked when he saw the tears on her face.

"Go away Jack," she replied.

"No. Not until you tell me what happened."

Nina glared at him. "Why do you care?" she asked, though it didn't come out as harshly as she'd intended.

"Because I still love you. That has never changed."

Nina still loved him too, and she decided that it was okay to tell him so. "I love you too, but I can't deal with us right now. I have to go."

"No you don't. At least come over, don't run. Oscar misses you, I'm sure he wants to see you. So does Steph."

"Jack, I can't..."

"Yes you can. Please?"

Nina looked at him, and she saw that he really wanted to help her. "Fine, just for a moment though."

"As long as you want. But you have to tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

"You can't. It's too late."

"What's too late?"

Nina shook her head. They had reached Steph and Oscar, and she certainly wasn't going to tell them.

"Please talk to me Nina."

"No," she whispered.

"Hey Nina, how are you?" asked Steph. She liked Nina a lot and had been very angry with Jack when he had broken up with her.

"Fine. You?"

"I'm okay. Do you want to come inside?" She had noticed the tears.

"Not really. I just came to say hi. I've got to go." Nina turned and ran off before they could see the tears starting up again.

"Jack, what's with Nina?"

"No idea. She's upset about something, but she won't tell me," said Jack. He was concerned.

"You should go after her. I got the impression she wanted to talk to you but didn't want me hearing it."

"She's pretty angry with me still."

"Can't blame her. You did break her heart. But helping now might get you back in her good books."

Jack knew his sister was right. He nodded and ran after Nina.

* * *

"Nina, wait!" shouted Jack as he caught up to her at the coffee shop.

Nina ignored him and continued into the shop, going to a table in the back where she couldn't been seen. Jack followed her, but not before he ordered two coffees, hoping to calm her down.

"Nina please talk to me. Please?"

"She married him, and didn't tell me!"

"Who are we talking about?"

"My mother."

"She married who?"

"Lou." Nina shook as new sobs took over. "I'm not angry with him though."

"You should call him then, tell him what you just told me."

As if he was reading their minds, Lou's name appeared on Nina's vibrating phone. She looked at it and then ignored it.

"Answer it Nina."

"No."

"You have too."

"No I don't!" she shouted at him. "Don't tell me what to do!"

Nina stood and ran off, leaving a confused Harold standing nearby with their coffees.

"What did you say Jack?"

"I don't think I said anything. I think it's something else. Can you call Lou and tell him Nina's with me and I'll bring her home as soon as I can?"

"Of course."

Jack thanked him and gave him money for the coffee. Then he chased Nina out of the shop again.

* * *

Nina knew she shouldn't have yelled at Jack. He hadn't done anything wrong, in fact, he was just trying to help. But she was hurting and she didn't want to be reasonable right then. She knew he was going to follow her, and she was glad that he was because she really wanted him there, she just didn't know how to tell him.

"Nina, stop!"

Turning around, Nina spotted Jack. He had stopped, but was close enough for her to see the concern and worry on his face. She sniffled and walked to him, her arms automatically going around him for a hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. You haven't done anything wrong. But you need to go home. You can't run."

"I don't want to go back there."

"Why?"

"Because I'm too angry Jack. I'm really angry at her."

"So call Lou then. Tell him that you aren't upset with him."

"No. I can't."

"Can I do it then?"

Nina nodded, letting go of him to dry her eyes. She waited for him to call Lou, then she let him walk her home.


	2. Chapter 2

Lou was waiting in the driveway when Jack and Nina arrived. He looked like he was about to cry, and he ran down to make sure Nina was okay. He didn't touch her though, he could see that she was still angry, not that he blamed her.

"I'm sorry," said Nina quietly, not looking him in the eye.

"No, we should be sorry, not you Nina. You haven't done anything wrong," said Lou.

"I shouldn't have run."

"You're upset. It's okay, I'm just glad you let Jack go with you."

Nina frowned, but didn't say anything. Jack had followed without her permission.

"Do you want to come in?" Lou asked gently.

"No. I don't want to be near either of you!" Nina turned, but Jack stopped her.

"Go inside. Tell them how you feel. Yell if you need to, but don't run," said Jack softly.

"I can't. Jack, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Come with me?"

"Are you sure about that? I thought you were angry with me too?"

"I am, but you seem to care."

"Okay, I can come in. But I won't let you run off. Understand?"

"Whatever." Nina took his hand and went inside, Lou following behind them.

Trixie looked up when the door opened and she saw her daughter. "What? Did you come back to yell at me more? Or are you going to yell at both of us this time?"

"Why the hell shouldn't I be angry with you? Both of you chose to keep your marriage a secret from me!"

"So what? You're seventeen. You shouldn't be acting like a child!"

"A child? What the hell? I am a child still! I'm not eighteen yet! What do you want me to do? Pretend I'm happy you've moved on from dad? Pretend I love that you got married again? Pretend that you didn't keep such a huge secret from me?!"

"You could be happy for us."

"I never said I wasn't. I'm glad you found someone nice. But you still could have told me!"

"She's right Trixie," said Lou quietly. "We should have told her."

Nina turned to face Lou. "So why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I guess I just promised. I don't break my promises."

"You promised?"

"Yeah."

Nina nodded. "I need some air." She walked out, leaving Lou and Jack stunned.

"Is she okay?" asked Lou.

"I doubt it. She's good at hiding her true feelings. Trust me, I know."

"Maybe I should go after her? Talk to her properly. She doesn't seem to be upset with me, just with her mother."

"That's because she's not angry at you."

Lou nodded and walked outside, finding his stepdaughter sitting on the grass. As he got closer, he could see her shaking and knew she was crying. He stopped walking and called out to her, not wanting to make things worse by scaring her.

"Nina?"

"What? I don't want to talk to anyone right now," she said quietly. Lou could hear that she was lying though, so he sat down next to her.

"I can't fix things if you don't talk to me."

"I don't want you to fix anything."

"Yes you do. I can hear it in your voice. We hurt you. We didn't mean to though."

"Maybe you didn't mean it, but she did."

"Were you hoping your parents would get back together?"

"What do you think?" She took a deep breath. "Sorry. Of course I wanted them back together."

"I'm not trying to replace your father. You know that, right?"

"I don't know. I just want him back home with us, like it used to be."

"Sometimes, that doesn't work Nina. You could always just ask my daughter, she can tell you that her mother and I never worked out."

"You have a daughter?"

"Her name is Lauren. I have a stepdaughter named Lolly too."

"Lolly?"

"Actually, it's Louise, but we call her Lolly. She lives with her mother."

"How many kids do you have?"

"A lot. Two of my own, then I have three stepchildren, including you."

"Me." Nina felt the tears coming again. "I don't want a stepfather Lou, I want my own dad back."

"I know you do, and that's okay. But right now, I'm here, looking out for you. I hope you understand that I care about you, and that I would never try to be your father."

"I know you aren't. But it's not fair!"

"I know it isn't. But being angry isn't helping. It's just making it harder for you. I know we made a mistake, but it will be okay in the end. I promise it will."

Nina knew he was right, knew her anger wasn't helping, but she couldn't find a way to let it go. She did however want to get away from the house for a while, and she knew exactly where she wanted to go. She stood, taking a deep breath so she wouldn't start crying again.

"Where are you going?" Lou asked.

"Visit Steph and Oscar. Don't worry, I'll take Jack with me."

"Okay, but don't forget to come home."

Nina nodded, and then she disappeared inside. She reappeared a moment later with Jack. He had an arm around her, and she was leaning into him like she had when they were dating. Jack gave Lou a nod as they walked down the driveway, promising he would look out for Nina.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack locked the door once he and Nina were inside the Scully house, only so Oscar couldn't accidentally get out. Steph was in the kitchen and she looked up, smiling when she saw Nina there.

"Hey, do you want to feed Oscar?" she asked.

Nina shook her head. "No thank you."

Jack looked at Nina, then at Steph. "You know what? I think it's my turn to watch him. Why don't you and Steph go do something that girls do?"

"Are you sure Jack?" asked Steph.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Nina is probably sick of me by now anyway. I'm sure she wouldn't mind having some time with another girl."

"Okay. Well, all you need to do is finishing feeding him and change him, then put him down for a nap. I need to go get some more formula anyway, so I'll take Nina with me." Steph handed the bottle to Jack and walked out. "Come on Nina, you can tell me how you are while we walk."

"Walk where?"

"To the coffee shop. I need to get some more of Oscar's formula."

"I don't know. I should probably stay with Jack. I don't want Lou worrying again."

"We can stop and tell him you're with me. Or Jack can call him."

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come?"

"Of course it is."

Nina gave her a smile. After she had broken up with Jack, Nina had felt like the whole Scully family, with the exception of Flick and Michelle, hated her, even though the breakup had been Jack's fault, not hers. She was glad that Steph liked her still. "Thank you."

Steph waved off the thank you. She liked Nina, and was glad that she seemed to be letting Jack in again. She knew they were good together, despite everything that had happened between them.

"So, how are you?" asked Steph carefully, aware that her earlier mood had not disappeared yet.

"Fine. I don't want to talk about it either, so please don't ask."

"I won't. About you and Jack though, what's happening there?"

"I don't want to talk about that either."

"No problem. What about school?"

"School's good. English is easily my favourite subject."

"Good to hear. Although, you should tell that to Susan, not me. How's Taj?"

"He's good. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"I know that. He's your friend though, and he is still upset about Libby."

"He won't talk to me about that."

"Do you talk to him about Jack?"

"No. Why would I?"

"No reason, I was just asking."

Nina smiled a little. "I miss Jack."

"He misses you too."

"He told me before that he still loves me."

"He does. He talks non-stop about how he's going to fix things with you. Do you love him still?"

"Yes."

"I know he hurt you, but you need to figure things out. And if you can fix things with Jack, he might be able to help you with whatever it is that's bothering you at the moment. He's really worried about you."

"I know he is. And I actually am grateful for him wanting to help, but this is something I have to do alone."

"Why?"

"It's not his mess to fix up Steph."

"It doesn't mean you can't let him help you."

Nina sighed. Steph had no idea what was happening, and she wasn't going to tell her. But she knew that Jack wanted to help. Maybe she'd let him. "Okay."

"Just give it a try, you might be surprised with the outcome."

Nina nodded, smiling a little. "I'm glad you are a good friend."

"I'll be here if you need something, okay?"

"Thank you."

* * *

"Jack, where's Oscar?" asked Steph when she and Nina came back.

"Asleep in his bed. Why?"

"Nina wants to talk to you. Now."

"Okay. Is she here still?"

"Yes, she's in the lounge room."

Jack nodded, handing the baby monitor over. He walked into the lounge room, smiling when he saw that Nina wasn't crying. "Hey, what's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure, I'm listening."

"It's about us."

"Okay..."

"Jack, I love you, despite everything. Please believe that. And I want my friend back, but I don't think I'm ready to try a relationship with you again. Do you understand that?"

"Of course I do. I know it was my fault, all of it. I mean, I should never have pushed you to sleep with me, and I shouldn't have been so stupid as to cheat on you. I am sorry about that. I want to fix things and try again, but I won't push you, I promise."

"Thank you. I need you to help me with this thing with Lou and my mother. Every time I look at them, I get angry again."

"That's okay. You're allowed to be angry Nina. But you also need to see it from their point of view. Would you have been happy if they had told you that they wanted to get married?"

"No, but I would have been happier than I am now."

"I know it's cause you miss your dad. I understand that. But he and your mum decided they couldn't work anymore. It's nothing to be upset about. You'll still have him in your life."

"He's going to India to work Jack. I'll never see him again."

"He'll come back. I doubt he'll leave his little girl for good. And you could always go visit him there too."

"I guess so." Nina moved over on the couch and leaned against Jack. "I just never thought that I wouldn't be able to see him again, you know? Even though they aren't together, I still had him here. I could still go to him for anything I wanted to. Now I won't be able to do that anymore, not if he's in another country altogether."

"Trust me, I know it's hard when you're family is in another country, but there are always ways to see them. You can chat via computer, or on the phone. I'll even help you with it if you want."

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Nina didn't realise that she had fallen asleep until Jack carefully covered her with a blanket. She was still at his house, laying on the couch. After she and Jack had spoken, she had started to cry again. She missed her dad, and she was still hurt that her mother made Lou promise to keep her in the dark. But she also knew she couldn't hide forever.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you," said Jack softly.

"It's okay. I should go home."

"I just spoke to Lou. He knows you're here with me still."

"Doesn't matter. I need to go. Thank you for listening to me."

"You're welcome. Do you want me to go with you? It's getting pretty dark out there."

"Yes please."

Jack nodded. He disappeared for a moment and then returned, carrying a jacket. "I told Steph where I'm going. Ready?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'll be right there next to you the whole time."

She nodded, grateful. She left with him, feeling a little better than she had earlier that day. Her feelings towards Jack had started to thaw as well, and she was glad she had let him in.

* * *

Nina opened the front door and they walked inside. Trixie was nowhere to be seen, which suited Nina just fine at that point. She wanted to talk to Lou, and she knew she wouldn't be able to do so calmly if her mother was there.

"Nina, I'm glad you're home," said Lou. He came into the living room.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay. What is it?"

"You were right earlier. I didn't get upset with you because you lied or anything. I was upset at my mother, and you were in the middle of it. I love you, and I'm glad you're my stepdad, but I really want my dad back, and I don't think I can forget this right now."

"That's fair enough. What can I do to help?"

"Can you try and talk to mum for me? I know I should, but I still can't right now."

"I'll talk to her, but tomorrow you need to. There's nothing I can do there because it's between the two of you. If you want, I can stay in the room, keep things calm, but that's really all I can do."

Nina thought about that for a moment, then she nodded. "Okay."

Lou smiled. He opened his arms and a moment later, Nina was hugging him tightly, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Me too sweetheart, me too." Lou held her for a little longer, glad she had opened up to him. He knew it was hard on her, but he truly couldn't change what had happened now.

Nina let go of him when the door closed and she heard her mother's voice.

"Mum, I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said quietly.

"It's okay Nina. I know I lied, I shouldn't have. It's my fault, not yours, and I don't want you to apologise for something I did. I love you more than anything or anyone in this world."

"Can we move past this?"

"Of course we can."

Nina smiled. She dried her tears and then hugged her mother too.


End file.
